Soccer CampRecommendations, Reviews and Tips

The benefits of attending soccer camp by youth players, besides the most obvious one - to learn and improve soccer skills, are multiple.

Soccer camp provides the kids with opportunities to meet new friends, to have fun and lots of unforgettable memories.

Also the experience of being without parents allows them to taste a certain level of independence while having to comply with rules, regulations, schedule and usually high level of discipline.

Assuming, of course, that we send the kids on the well-organized soccer camp with high qualified coaching staff and personnel.

List Your Soccer Camp FOR FREE

Do you administrate a soccer camp and would like to list it here FOR FREE?
Please do not hesitate and include your camp's detailed info in My Soccer Camp Directory.

Your entry will be post it as a separate page on my-youth-soccer-guide.com including a form for updates, special announcements etc.

How to find reputable soccer camp?

Usually soccer clubs or any soccer organization that your child is a member of, either endorsed a certain soccer camp that they are associated with or they run their own camp. This would be probably the safest choice since you'd know exactly what to expect.

But if your club don't run or suggest any soccer camp or you simply look for something better or different, then the best thing is:

Ask around.

Ask other players, not just from your club or team.

See if you know anybody whose kid play for other local club and find out which soccer camp he participates in.

Get suggestion and opinion from actual participants or their parents.

You can also gather some useful information from reviews and testimonials on the Internet.

Share your experience or just learn from others

Do you know a well-run soccer camp? Share the info with others. Write about it here.
If you had a miserable experience, write about it too.
As a matter a fact if you have any soccer camp story, please share it with us.

It could be just simple soccer camp info, or/and review (good or bad), or tips, suggestions or advise for parents and participants, or basically anything that is soccer camp related.

Other aspects to consider while choosing a soccer camp

What kind of accommodation will the kids have? Is it safe and comfortable?

What is the daily schedule?

What could the kids do during free time?

Are there any organized activities besides soccer?

Who runs the camp?

What is coaches' background in soccer?

US Soccer Camp System

It's probably not a surprise to you that the main goal for soccer camps is to make money.
The system and the structure of soccer camps for young soccer players in the US are definitely different than I had experienced as a youth player in Europe. So is the entire soccer system.

Which one is better? I am not sure.

Both have positive and negative aspects. My parents definitely like the European system much better, because they didn't have to pay anything. But this is a whole different topic that could be discussed maybe as a Topic of the Week sometime.

Back to soccer camps in the US...

Types of Soccer Camps

Run by coaches from local high schools, clubs and other organizations

Run by professional players, coaches or teams

Run by professional camp business

Run by State Youth Soccer Association

Run by college coaches

Run by international teams or coaches

As I have said, reality is that soccer camps in the US are intended to bring profit. It's simply a business.

But this is not necessarily a bad thing. For one, if the soccer camp wants to stay in business and build a good reputation, most likely it'll be run very professionally. That's the good news for us, parents. On the other hand there are good and bad businesses, so are the soccer camps.

Share Your soccer camp experience

Share your soccer camp experience with others. Tell us your story.

Any story…

...soccer camp you like or dislike, your opinion, review (good or bad), tips, suggestions or advise for parents and participants, or basically anything that is soccer camp related.It’ll make a difference for many young soccer players.

Your entry will automatically create a separate page with your story.

Enter Your Title (ex, How I found the perfect soccer camp for my daughter.)

Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story.

TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Univ. of Wisconsin Soccer Camp- Clueless Not rated yetTwo years in a row now, the UW Soccer camp in Madison, WI has been run with temperatures in the high 90s and even 100. Kids were out in the scorching …

U of Penn soccer camp - just for money Not rated yetSigned daughter up for several camps. She is a rising junior. Hopes there would be some evaluation and future recruiting. I read in many places that a …

AYSO Soccer Camps Not rated yetDo NOT register for AYSO soccer camps! They are unreliable and will drop the camp with less than a days notice. They will refund the money eventually …

Messiah College Soccer Camps Are Great.. Not rated yetMy daughter has been going to the Messiah College Girls Soccer Day Camps in Grantham, Pennsylvania for a number of years now and I have to say that I have …

USNA Soccer Camp Not rated yetMy 11 year old daughter just returned from the USNA residential soccer camp today and she had a wonderful experience. It was a safe environment, offered …

Two Rivers Soccer Camp Awesome! Not rated yetThis soccer camp located in Graegle, CA near Quincy is one of the top camps in the country (I believe). This place provides a top notch soccer coaching …

The BEST Soccer Camp TOOL!!! Not rated yetI went to an advanced goal-tending camp over the summer. I've been to one like this before but this one really took it out of me.
It was a very small …

Types of Soccer Camps Not rated yetDay Camps
This type is ideal for young, beginning players. For many kids, day soccer camps, which focus on learning basic skills and having fun, …